Three tombs dating back thousands of years have been unearthed in an ancient Egyptian burial complex.
The tombs of three prominent statesmen from the New Kingdom era (1539 to 1077 BCE) have been uncovered in Luxor, according to Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. The discovery was made in the Dra’Abu El Naga, an important non-royal necropolis in Luxor, the ministry said in a statement Monday.
The excavation was carried out entirely by Egyptians, according to Sherif Fathy, minister of tourism and antiquities, who called it a “significant” discovery for the country’s archaeological record in a post on the ministry’s Instagram account.
Inscriptions inside the tombs allowed the excavation team to identify the names and titles of their owners, said Mohamed Ismail Khaled, secretary-general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, in the statement. Further work will be needed to complete cleaning and studying remaining inscriptions in the tombs.
One of the tombs belongs to a person called Amun-em-Ipet from the Ramesside period (usually considered to be the 19th and 20th dynasties) who either worked in the temple or the estate of Amun, the deity revered as king of the gods. Most scenes in his tomb were destroyed, except for depictions of furniture carriers and a banquet scene, the ministry said.
Another tomb, dating back to the 18th dynasty, belonged to someone named Baki who worked as a granary supervisor, the ministry said.
The third tomb, also dating back to the 18th dynasty, belonged to a person called Es, who was identified as holding several jobs: supervisor in the Temple of Amun, mayor of the northern oases and scribe.
Abdel Ghaffar Wagdy, director-general of Luxor antiquities, who led the mission, described the tomb layouts in the statement provided by the ministry. According to Wagdy, Amun-em -Ipet’s tomb consists of a small courtyard, an entrance and a square hall ending with a niche, where a western wall was broken.
Baki’s tomb consists of a long, corridor-like courtyard followed by another courtyard leading to its main entrance. An extended hall leads to another long hall, ending with an incomplete chamber containing his burial well.
The tomb belonging to Es also has a small courtyard containing a well, followed by a main entrance, and a transverse hall leading to another – incomplete – long hall.
The tombs mark yet another discovery made this year in Luxor.
In February, a joint Egyptian-British archaeological mission unearthed the tomb of King Thutmose II in what officials at the time called a “remarkable” discovery.
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